Mistrust of Microsoft means millions of Windows users are "at-risk" of …

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Brand loyalty among Mac users is both famous and infamous. Often derided as a form of religious zealotry, that loyalty nonetheless kept Apple Computer alive in less prosperous times than the current iPod Era. Well, it turns out Apple may be able to capitalize on that brand loyalty again, but this time among Windows users. Macworld reports analysis by Forrester Research shows Apple's brand—already highly trusted—is only one of two that rose in trust during the last two years (the other was TiVo). For the same period, Microsoft was ranked as one of the least trusted brands. While this probably means less to Microsoft in terms of sales than another delay in the release of Windows Vista, it could mean a lot to Apple Computer.

"Microsoft faces big consumer defection risk: One measure of consumers'
dissatisfaction with Microsoft is seen in the 5.4 million households
that gave it a brand trust of 1 (distrust a lot) or 2 (distrust a
bit)," the report said. "Compared with all Microsoft users, these
at-risk users have higher income, are much more likely to be male and
are bigger online spenders. These households know they run Microsoft
software but would be just as happy to leave it behind — if they could.
Apple could double its PC share by winning Microsoft’s at-risk
customers."

While this is good news for Apple Computer, there is a bit news that is less so, that being the iconic iPod is not seen as part of Apple's brand.

"The Apple brand adoption data looks wrong — after all, the company has
sold 42 million iPods, far more than the 5.2 million households that
claim to use the Apple brand regularly — until you realize that 'Apple
Computer' is not the same brand as 'iPod,'" the Forrester report said.

This also might explain the mythical "Halo Effect" that has spurred—or failed to spur—increased sales of Macs based upon sales of iPods. Better association of brands in the future could increase follow-through sales of Macs to iPod buyers. However, the report also suggests that price could be a concern among millions of less affluent households. It's unlikely Apple will be trimming those famous double-digit margins, well, ever, so that could limit sales. Still, skimming a few million affluent and resentful Windows users could only help the bottom line.